The Phantom Lover Part 47

He swung round at once, and scrutinised himself in the gla.s.s over the mantelshelf.

"For the worse, or the better?" he asked anxiously. "I know I never was exactly an Adonis."

She laughed merrily.

"I don't mean your face, stupid, but yourself. You're quieter, you don't go about so much; in fact"--she challenged him deliberately--"I believe you're in love."

"So I am," said Micky stolidly.

She pretended not to take him seriously.

"It's no joking matter--I mean what I say."

"So do I," said Micky. He laughed. He came over to where she was sitting, and stood behind her chair so that she could not see his face. "I've tried to make up my mind to tell you lots of times," he said. "But I thought perhaps you'd have guessed before now...." He stopped and moved away restlessly.

June sat very still; presently--

"It's Esther," she said quietly.

"Yes."

"Poor old Micky!..."

"You needn't be sorry for me; I walked into it with my eyes wide open.

I knew she was engaged--I knew it all the time."

"And Esther ... does she know? Have you told her?"

"Yes.... She took it as an insult. Perhaps it was; I don't know. You see, I knew she was engaged to that other fellow."

"An outsider! who isn't worth a thought," June cried indignantly.

"Micky, however could she have refused you?"

He laughed. He looked down at her with a comical expression in his eyes.

"She's not the first woman who's done that," he reminded her.

She sat up with sudden haste.

"That wasn't anything, but this...."

"This," said Micky, "isn't anything either, except on my side. You always told me that some day I shouldn't be able to have what I wanted. You were right."

"I should like to slap her!" said June viciously.

He laughed outright.

"If you did I should slap you, my dear." He went back to his chair by the fire. "It's only between ourselves, June," he said.

"Of course ... and, Micky--do you think she will marry Ashton?"

Micky did not answer for a moment.

"No," he said at last. "I don't think so."

June stared at him.

"Then--then do you mean----" But he would not tell her anything.

"You've heard quite enough for one day," he said teasingly. "Don't worry your head about me. I don't know why I told you--somehow I thought you'd guessed."

June threw her cigarette into the fire.

"I did. I'll be honest--I did guess," she broke off. "Here is Esther,"

she added.

She got up and opened the door.

"The lady with the fur coat," she announced drily. "Pray come in, madame!"

"June," said Esther protestingly.

She seemed to guess who was there. She looked past her friend at once to Micky.

She coloured faintly as he rose to greet her.

He had not seen her in the fur coat before. The dark fur suited her fairness admirably; the heavy folds hung gracefully about her slim figure; her face rose like a flower from the big, upstanding collar.

"And where have you been all the afternoon?" June demanded. "We waited tea for you till nearly five."

Esther made a little grimace. "I've had my tea out--with Mr. Harley."

"Harley?" said Micky sharply.

June laughed.

"He's one of the tribe who live here," she explained. "He's a great admirer of Esther's. And he's quite a nice boy too, isn't he?" she appealed to her friend.

"Very nice," Esther agreed. "I met him quite by chance, and so we went and had some tea."

Micky was frowning; it was odd that he felt more jealous of this man whom he had never seen than he had ever done of Ashton. He hated to feel that Esther had gone out with him wearing her new coat.

He stood by silently while the two girls chattered together; he felt very much out of it and unwanted.

"I'm glad everybody likes my coat," Esther said. She had taken it off and was holding it at arm's length, admiring its beauty.

"It was a lovely present, wasn't it?" She appealed to Micky.